Fractured
by ebonfirefly
Summary: After the final battle with Yuber, Judai can't seem to come to terms with his guilt. [slightly AU]


**Title:** Fractured

**Rating:** K+

**Disclaimer:** Don't own 'em. Would love to, but don't. Not making any money off of this either.

**Summary:** After the final battle with Yuber, Judai can't seem to come to terms with his guilt.

**A/N:** Most of this is mere speculation on my part, as I don't actually know what will happen after the Dark World arc, so this is most likely a little AU.

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The battle is over, Yubel has been defeated, and everything is back to normal…

Well, as normal as things get at Duel Academia, anyway.

It's been a month since Judai won his match against Yubel, and nothing is the same. Luckily the deal he struck with her before the match began brought us all back unharmed, at least physically, but Judai, who I think probably suffered the most, is still trying to get his life back in order. Unfortunately it seems to have taken more of a toll on him than any of us expected. Asuka and I have tried to talk to him, but he just brushes us off. Manjoume resumed his usual put-downs, hoping to get _some_ response out of him, but Judai ignores it. Kenzan even offered to duel him and got no reaction.

He blames himself for what happened, that much is obvious, but he doesn't seem to understand that it _isn't_ his fault some crazy duel spirit tried to kill us all under the guise of protecting him. It also doesn't help matters that Sho has been avoiding him like the plague.

Part of me can understand why Sho would be frustrated – from what I've heard, Judai was pretty reckless, and even _evil_ for a little while – but the other part wants to grab Sho by the shoulders and shake some sense into him for being so selfish. Judai _needs_ him! They've been friends for three years, and he's closer to Judai than anybody else – no matter how much I wish it were _me_ that's closest to Judai. Judai has come to rely on Sho's unwavering support; how's he supposed to get along now that that support is gone? It isn't fair to Judai…

I'm not saying that everyone should drop all of their problems; I just think that Judai deserves more respect than he's getting. Maybe I'm a little biased because, after all, I'm part of the reason Judai went to the Dark World in the first place, but he did save us all. Can't Sho see that? I'd talk to him myself, maybe try to get him to see reason, but I'm too busy tailing Judai, making sure he doesn't do something stupid.

It's harder than I thought it would be to keep up with him. He can't seem to sit still for more than five minutes at a time – and even though I knew that already, it seems worse now that he's so upset. I have to pay attention at all times, otherwise I'll lose him. I've even been sleeping on the couch in Manjoume's room so I can be sure to get to him quickly in the mornings – the awful couch is so uncomfortable that it guarantees I won't oversleep, as an added "bonus". It took surprisingly little to convince Manjoume that my staying there was necessary.

"Duel me!" a voice orders suddenly. I look up to see Judai faced with Manjoume – speak of the devil – who looks more determined than I remember _ever_ seeing him.

"I don't really feel like it right now, Manjoume," Judai replies so quietly that I have to strain my ears to hear him. I'd get closer were it not for fear of being caught spying.

For once, Manjoume doesn't correct the title. "That's too bad because it wasn't a request. You're going to duel me, right here, right now. I even brought your duel disk, Slacker." He thrusts the duel disk at Judai, leaving no room for argument, so Judai resigns himself to his fate.

"Shouldn't we stop them?"

Startled, I glance to my right quickly though I can still hear Judai and Manjoume arguing in the background. "What are you doing here?"

"Probably the same as you," Asuka answers, then repeats her question.

"I don't know. Maybe this is what Judai needs now. Manjoume will challenge him in a way that we couldn't, just because they're rivals. He doesn't have to worry about hurting Judai's feelings."

"But Manjoume is always so mean to him. What if he pushes too far?"

"Maybe somebody needs to." That came out a lot harsher than I intended, but I can't bring myself to take it back. "I miss the old Judai. I know we can't have him back to how he was exactly because too much has happened, but I'd settle for a more cheerful Judai. What happened isn't Judai's fault; I wish he would stop blaming himself for it."

Apparently Manjoume decided that forcing Judai into a duel wasn't going to work, because now he's grabbing Judai by the shoulders and shaking him. "You're pathetic, you know that? You're a sorry excuse for a duelist, and you can't handle a little stress! You need to wake up and realize that nobody feels sorry for you! So what if things went wrong in the Dark World! _Get over it!_"

"It's not that easy, Manjoume," Judai argues, his eyes downcast. This time, I sneak a little closer, but try desperately to not get involved.

"Well, make it that easy! Or are you really as stupid as I've always thought? It's not that hard to put something behind you!"

Judai's yelling now. "You're one to talk! Ever since you came back from North Academy, all you've done is whine and complain about how life isn't fair, and how you're not supposed to be stuck in the red dorm! You know what? Everybody knows you think your life sucks; you don't need to continue telling us! We _get_ it! _You_ get over it!" Before anybody can stop him, he lashes out, his fist connecting with Manjoume's jaw.

Asuka tries to rush to them, but I grab her arm before she can. Manjoume and Judai need to work this out; it's better if we don't get involved. "I _knew_ something bad would happen if we let Manjoume talk to him!" she shrieks.

"Quiet. Don't interrupt them." I want to go out there just as badly as she does, but it seems like Manjoume might actually get through to him. I don't want to intervene unless I have to.

Judai gasps at what he's done. "I'm so sorry, Manjoume," he stutters out. "I didn't mean to… I don't know why I said all that. I…I didn't mean it."

As surprising as it is, Manjoume doesn't seem the least bit upset by what just happened. In fact, it's almost like he's smiling. He rests his hands back on Judai's shoulders. "Look at you," he mutters. "You're turning into _me_. We don't need another me running around here; get ahold of yourself, Judai. What happened to us in another dimension isn't your fault. You didn't drag us kicking and screaming; it was _our_ choice. It wasn't your job to protect us. If that midget you call your friend blames you for what happened, then maybe he isn't as good of a friend as you think. You deserve real friends, Judai."

Judai, for his part, looks ashamed. "I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that!" Manjoume orders. "You have nothing to apologize for. You don't have to explain yourself to me."

Judai nods slightly. "Thank you Manjoume."

Manjoume takes his hands off Judai's shoulders and crosses them over his chest, narrowing his eyes slightly. "It's -san da!"

"Right, Manjoume Thunder." Judai smiles, and it feels like a huge weight has lifted from around us all.

Suddenly, Judai sways a little and falls to the ground, clutching at his sides. Worried, I finally move from my hiding spot in the trees, Asuka following close behind.

"Judai, are you alright?" I ask, kneeling beside him.

He grins weakly. "I'm starving," he says seriously, and I can't help but laugh.

"Well, you've eaten enough for _one_ of your normal meals in the last two weeks combined," Asuka points out. "It's understandable that you're hungry."

"How do _you_ know that?" he asks curiously.

"She and Johan have been stalking you for the past month," Manjoume says bluntly. "They weren't very stealthy about it, either; I'm surprised you didn't notice." He pauses to think about what he just said, then shakes his head. "Nevermind, Iforgot it's you we're talking about."

I rub the back of my neck in embarrassment. "We weren't exactly _stalking_ you; we just wanted to make sure you were taking care of yourself. Now, come on." I take hold of one arm while Asuka does the same with the other, and we pull him up. "It's about time for dinner."

He gives us all one of his biggest smiles. Everything isn't back to normal just yet, but things are starting to look up. Now if only we can get through to Sho.

---

End. I have a sequel in mind that deals with the Sho issue, so if you guys want to read that, too. A warning though, it'll probably have a little one-sided Johan/Judai, but _only_ a little. A small enough amount that you could ignore it and it wouldn't affect the story.

Another thing: I felt like Manjoume was slightly OOC in this. Please let me know if you felt that way too, or if I'm just over-thinking it.


End file.
